Trip Report: 1/7/2019

Got into Freedom trail around 7:15am, picked up some bottles along the way. Route is pretty rough from the recent rains. I got some biodegradable spray paint removal spray(non aerosol) that I wanted to try on the rocks by the springs and along the freedom trail. One issue was that the final step calls for a power washer and I don't have a generator nor did i want to lug my power washer and a bucket of water along that trail, but maybe one day. So instead I used some water I had on hand and a scrub brush. As I rinsed the paint off I tried to soak it up with some paper towels. When I got down to the springs I saw a Great Blue Heron in the creek, nobody else there, just me and the bird for about an hour. I crossed and got some towels that others had left behind that I had been meaning to pick up. I laid these at the base of the rock formation by the rope swing that has a lot of graffiti on it. I sprayed the removal spray on the rocks, scrubbed and then rinsed with water from the creek making sure that the runoff was absorbed by those towels. I got a fair amount off but I will need to come back(I went through my spray bottle but I have another at home) to remove it all. Some other places around the springs where I worked to remove graffiti were a faint area on a high rock outcropping near the rope swing that said carlos in gold paint, the rock near contemplation pool at the base of a tree, and an area on the rocks on the left when walking from contemplation pool to the PCT.

Around 10am a man came through and stopped at the Phoenix pool, left within 30 minutes. Chuck came through, and later Jobe and Ranger Dave. 4 others arrived around 11:30am, all nude or partially nude. Jobe helped vacuum out the womb, I found the neck of a broken glass bottle and Jobe found some water shoes, hair clips and other articles of clothing. I also drained the womb, anniversary pool, contemplation pool, and siphon drained the serenity pool. Wasn't able to fully scrub the anniversary which really needs it because people started arriving by that point. I also siphon drained the unnamed pool between the anniversary and womb. As wizard and I had discussed, a 2 inch diameter hose would be ideal but unfortunately those hoses are very expensive because they are not produced in mass quantity the way 1.5 inch hoses are for pool vacuums and 3 inch hoses are for drainage. So my solution was to bring down another 1.5 inch diameter hose and I have a couple small 1 inch diameter hoses that I got cheap from a clearance sale. Later in the day two couples came through, clothed but polite. and around 4pm everyone was gone again. The blue heron returned and I enjoyed its company as I got ready to hike back out, arrived at the freedom trail parking lot around 6pm. In general there was very little garbage because a friend had done a cleanup a couple days before, I only found a nalgene and a couple water bottles, cigarette butts, bottle caps. I think the new rules at the Ranch have also helped to reduce traffic and therefore trash accumulation.

Chuck told me that in the 1800's the springs pools were closer to the PCT where the swampy area is now and that miners dynamited the rock formation that the womb and serenity sit in. Wondering if anybody can confirm or refute this piece of history?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2019 02:44PM by paulespo.